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The Crossing of Paths
Sunrise, Daiya Chiri The crimson sky brightened over the capital of the world, signalling daybreak for its inhabitants. The city was never truly silent due to its industry, size and activity but as the civilised part roused itself, the metropolis was to become a hive of business. People were starting to come and go and the streets were beginning to fill up. In the slums, the thieves and lowlives were heading to find a place to sleep while the unfortunate and homeless were waking with the sun. A little girl, who had been sleeping amongst the ruins of a dilapidated house, sat up and rubbed her eyes before getting up. She had used a blanket that she had found amongst the rubble to cover her slight form, and now she was ready to go out and spend some time wandering. She roughly knew her way around the slums, but her friend was nowhere to be found within the place as he was busy working. She still didn't know what his job was, but he always dodged the question. Stepping out into the dawn, she looked around, wondering what the new day would hold. "Hey! You have to pay for that!" Commotion exploded from a small corner store, as a young man dashed out it's entrance, followed by several clerks and a few civilians who were too good for their own good. He didn't even bother to laugh at the fact that they had just left the entire store unprotected, like no one would try to loot it while they were chasing him. A sigh escaped his lips... Giving himself a boost with his telekinesis, he leaped high over a fence and cam down on the other side, already rifling through the bag that he'd stolen. "Fooooood~..." he mumbled, taking out a loaf of bread and sinking his teeth into it. Saori wandered, hands in her jacket pocket, humming a tune. It was only early but she could hear the roaring of vehicles. Deciding to take a turn out of the labyrinthine slum paths into the main city, she emerged behind a back alley. Frowning at the dead end she'd reached, her azure blue eyes cast around for another way into the city streets when she saw a blur flying over the wire fence. "...!" Her eyes widened and she quickly ducked back round the corner, pressing her back against the wall and hoping he hadn't seen her. Her friend had always warned her to avoid strangers...she peeked around the corner shyly, noticing that the stranger wasn't an older adult... Nori was too absorbed in his food to notice anything else. It had been days since he ate last... It was too bad he had to resort to stealing. Theft didn't exactly do wonders for his reputation. "What else..." he dug around in the bag and pulled out two bottles of water... and then forgot to breathe while drinking it all. Ripping off another piece of the bread, he once again stuffed it into his mouth, and then nearly drowned himself with the water. "Maybe I should steal some more..." he grumbled to himself. Saori squeaked as she heard the word 'steal', her eyes becoming even wider. This could be a dangerous criminal! Then she noticed that he only had bread and water on him. What kind of dangerous criminal would steal food? He looked kind of hungry...maybe she should help him. He looked nice anyway. She emerged from round the corner and looked up at him seriously. "You look hungry. If there are Yaring....Yarli...those people with powers after you," she fudged her words, "-I can help you. I'm Saori." She approached him and stopped just short of him, watching him with her bright blue eyes curiously. "....?" Nori cocked his head as the girl approached him. How would a little girl help him against yarlings..? Disregarding her offer completely, he waved the loaf of bread at her, obviously wanting her to take a piece from the end he hadn't bit into. She didn't look very... clean, herself... not to mention that she was adorable... he had to give her somethng. Nori didn't even consider saying anything. It was impolite to talk with your mouth full, and he wasn't about to stop eating, either. Saori blinked as the young man waved bread at her. Was he one of those people who had something wrong with their brain? Her friend had told her about those kinds of people, but this man didn't seem like that. He was offering her food! She beamed at him and ripped a small piece off delicately before putting it in her mouth and chewing slowly. Then her brow wrinkled. Her friend had told her not to tell people her secret, that she could beat those Yaring- Yarl- people with powers. She swallowed and probed gently, "If you want more food, do you have to take it from people with powers? If you do I can help you..." He looked hungry and Saori felt bad for him. She spoke more strongly and confidently, "Because if bad people use powers I can stop them! I don't know how but I can but you have to be near to me so don't run away, okay?" She finished in a rush. Then she remembered her manners, blushing for her rudeness. She curtsied, holding the edges of her skirt, "T-thank you for the food." Finally swallowing, Nori regarded the girl happily. It was amazing! A little girl with manners! Most were bratty and demanded whatever they wanted, but this one seemed very sweet... It shouldn't be a problem to tell her, right? He was starting to argue with himself. This could be a trap. A sweet little girl--with manners--approaching me in an alley... Where I have no where to go...But she doesn't seem evil, or like anyone's forcing her to do this. But what if that's what I'm supposed to think? Nori snapped out of it and stared at the girl for a moment. "I'm... a Yarling." Depending on her reaction, he'd be able to determine what to do. Saori flinched as the young man told her the truth. She closed her eyes, as she was prone to do when other people with powe- Yarlings shot attacks at her. Keeping her eyes shut tight, she explained very quickly before he could attack her, "People with powers attack me so I am a bit scared of them and my brother could shoot fire so he shot it at me a few times-" She cracked open an eye to see if he'd try anything on her, even daring to venture, "It doesn't work..." He looked nice enough, and Saori supposed she could forgive him if he tried it out, because when she told people they wanted to try their powers out, so he could just not be nasty and use his powers just to test. She stepped back until she was more than three feet away from him and explained, "If I'm too close it spoils things." Then she waited, slightly turned away from him, one eye still squeezed shut. Nori was dumbstruck. A little girl was asking him to harm her with his powers. "That's... That's okay..." he assured her, standing up from his previous sitting position. The only time he ever really used his powers was when he was in danger, or if he needed to do something he couldn't ordinarily do by himself... There was no reason to use them on a little girl. "I'll just tell you," he decided. "I have Psych-... Telekinesis. I can move things with my head, in a nutshell. What can you do?" Nori stuffed another piece of bread into his mouth while waiting for her answer. Saori watched him stand up and slowly opened her eyes. The young man didn't even want to try his powers out? He was really nice! She relaxed and smiled happily. But she didn't understand his power. What was tellying-cheeses? Then he explained. Saori reckoned that he must be really smart if he could move things with his head, she believed it must be using his brainpower. Then she explained her power, her face falling. "My...it's not a power...it's just it stops powers. Everything. If you get close to me you can't use your power...or if people try and hit me, their powers stop..." Then her lower lip trembled, "Even if it's a good power, like making sick people well again...it stops..." "H-hey... Don't cry.. I'm sorry..!" Nori begged. This little girl crying? Impossible! It wouldn't happen on his time! "I don't know how I can do.. Since I'm... Well.. Poor. But is there anything you'd like to do? If you feel comfortable coming with me, that is." he asked politely, offering his hand to the little girl in front of him. Since she was so sweet, Nori figured that it'd be impossible for this to be a trap. There was no way the government was after him. She was alright. So why not help her? It wasn't like he had anything else to do. Saori stopped sniffling as the young man told her not to cry. He said he was poor, and Saori shrugged, because she was poor if you counted money. She didn't have any money. But she had nothing to do and she didn't know what to do because her friend was working somewhere, so she should stay with someone because he said safety in numbers. He was nice too so she took his hand, wrapping her slim fingers around it. She smiled up at him. "If my friend comes back we can get some money for you so it will be okay." Her bright blue eyes were full of trust as she looked at him. Friend? Nori smiled back at her, but he felt uneasy now. Firstly, Nori didn't enjoy taking handouts. He wasn't incapable of making a living on his own. He just didn't want to. Secondly, the girl was too adorable. She was holding his hand now... But she was also negating his powers. Wonderful. Fantastic. Now he had practically no way of defending himself. Lastly, the way she was looking at him... He didn't want to let go.. Almost like he wouldn't mind if it were a trap! "Would you like to go.." Nori racked his brain thinking of some place little girls like to go. ".. to the playground?" he asked hopefully. Saori saw him smile and she felt happy- it was always better when two people were happy than one person only! Then he asked her to go to the playground! She decided that he was her new best friend and she nodded, "If that's okay." Then she had a flash of insight, "Oh, wait, the bad people might chase you. Is it okay to go out to the city?" She didn't want him to get into trouble just because she was bored. It would be fun to play in the playground! Then her eyes narrowed in concentration, "But if people chase us I think I should get out of your way so you can telly-cheese them." "Telly.. Oh," he mumbled to himself, frowning for a moment, "It's okay, you don't have to do anything... I mean, it's not like I can't fight without my powers. Besides, if you're away from me, how would I be able to protect you?" he prodded her, ruffling her already unmanigable hair. "Uhm... Do you happen to know where the park is..?" Nori recognized things by buildings... And he wasn't exactly familiar with where he was.. Saori grinned at him as he repeated her word, and was reassured. If he could fight without his powers then he must be strong and skilful! And he was offering to protect her. Her friend told her that when nice young men protected young ladies it was brave, like knights who fought a lot and helped people, and they were shiver-rus or something. So this young man was shiver-rus! Then he ruffled her uncontrollable hair and she giggled. She thought about where the park was and then nodded. "Yes, because we're in the slum maze, just about. If we go round the corner, left there," she gestured with her free hand to where she'd appeared from, "-and then we go along and turn left again, we come out into the street with the big buildings. From there we go right across and I think that's how we get to the park!" She finished, excited. Nori found himself giggling too. "Well.. Alright! Let's go!" he shouted, picking the small girl up and placing her on his shoulders in a typical piggy-back position. As long as she didn't... Cover his eyes or anything, he figured that he should be okay. Giggling again, he ran to the end of the alley and made a sharp left, then paused. "Where do we go again..?" Nori wasn't very good at following directions. Maybe she could steer him like a horse. He grimaced at the idea... Saori squealed as the young man picked her up, "Wheeeee!" She wrapped her arms around his neck carefully so as not to strangle him. "Yay, fun!" He was being nice and carrying her so her legs didn't get tired, "It's very shiver-rus of you to carry me, like a knight!" Then she squealed even more as her horse ran and turned, and her grip tightened a bit. She explained clearly, "You go down the alley and left again. Then you come out into the street and cross it, and the playground is somewhere there." She was careful not to lean on him too much because it might hurt him. "Okay..." Following Saori's directions, he went down the alley and left again, then came out onto the street. Barely looking to see if there were any cars coming, he ran across the street, and then paused for a moment. "My name's Nori. What's yours?" he asked politely, giving his name first, before asking hers. He glanced upwards, meeting her bright blue eyes with equal enthusiasm. Saori enjoyed the running, pretending she was riding a dragon. Then the man told her he was called Nori. It was a nice name! She answered lightly, "I'm Saori!" She could see that he was enthusiastic too and she couldn't wait to reach the playground. She could play with a new friend. Then she shifted slightly, "If I'm heavy you can put me down. I don't want to be heavy." She spoke thoughtfully. "You're not heavy at all!" Nori reassured her. They finally made it to the playground!...As ratty as it was. The floor of it was covered in woodchips and dirt (so that any child that fell from one of the questionably antiquated playing equipment wouldn't be seriously hurt), a merry-go-round (which was push powered, obviously, there wasn't going to be an electronic one in the slums. The quality of this one was questionable as well...), and a set of swings (which, strangely, looked like they had just been installed). "So.. What do you want to do?" Saori smiled brightly as she was reassured and they eventually reached the playground. It looked like fun! There were swings and a merry-go-round. The child thought and decided that she didn't want to get dizzy, and it wouldn't be any fun if Nori had to push her around. She gently leapt off him, sending some woodchips flying as she hit the ground and raced over to the swings. She climbed onto one and called her friend over, "Nori, Nori, let's swing together! I want to touch the sky!" Then she dangled her short legs over the swing, trying to get some momentum. Today was the best day ever! That would be possible if I could use my telekinesis... Nori thought to himself, but quickly dismissed it. Swing together? Does that mean that she wanted him to push her, or to sit next to her on the swing. Nori was slightly surprised he didn't get tazed while piggy-backing her, but... He sat down on the swing next to her, and effortlessly went higher than her on his first thrust. Even though he was afraid of heights... He figured he would be okay. Turning his head for a moment, he smiled at Saori who was barely off the ground. Saori nodded cheerily as Nori sat on the swing next to her. Then her face fell as he almost flew into the sky! She wiggled her legs and her whole body, trying to get some movement. She pouted jealously. It wasn't fair! Then she realised, "You're cheating because you can touch the ground with your feet. You're bigger than me so you have more muscles, and you can push harder!" Then she swung her legs more and the swing began to move. She found a rhythm and worked as hard as she could to gain momentum, "I can do it too! Finally!" Her jealousy forgotten, she concentrated on trying to touch the sky! Nori's swing slowly swung to a halt. That was enough for today... he didn't need to swing anymore. Sliding off of the seat and standing for a few moments, he smiled wearily at Saori. It looked like she was actually getting some distance. "Do you want me to push you..?" he asked politely, afraid that if he just suddenly started doing it she would feel undermined or wak. Or inferior. All of these were undesirable. She deserved to be happy. Saori watched Nori slow down and she felt bad. She hoped she hadn't discouraged him by calling him a cheat. She didn't mean it really, she just wanted to swing higher. Then Nori asked if she wanted him to push her. He looked a bit tired, and Saori frowned. "If you're tired you don't have to push me. It's not fair if you're tired! You can rest if you want." She kept swinging. She didn't want to make her friend more tired because that would not be nice of her. She smiled reassuringly at him. "It's not that. Really! I'm fine!" Nori shouted happily, brightened up by the girl's smile. He moved to right behind her, and... Pushed! Saori immediately started going higher! Nori was giggling. Saori was light. By his fifth push, she was already almost parallel with the ground at the peak of her swing. "You can't actually touch the sky, Saori.." he warned her. No reason getting her hopes up for nothing. Saori felt like she was flying! Nori was really strong! She couldn't help but squeal as she lifted off, higher and higher! Nori then warned her about the sky and she nodded, calling, "It would be dangerous! But look!" As she almost soared, she grabbed the swing's chain tight with one hand and reached out the other, pointing at a cloud. "I touched it!" As she flew back down to Earth, she grinned, caught hold of the other chain and craned her neck to look at Nori. Thunk. Nori's head snapped to the side, and he stopped pushing Saori. "Saori... Why don't you go play over there..?" he asked, pushing her lightly off the swing and towards a bush. Nori went off in the other direction, towards the noise. He was muttering something to himself, and his expression was grim. Saori blinked as the swing slowed to a halt and Nori nudged her off of it. There was a noise. Was it an animal knocking over a trash can? Foxes did that in the slums sometimes. They also sometimes bit. She obediently went towards the bush and then pursed her lips. But if it was something dangerous, she should really go and help him...but if they didn't know she was there, she could jump out, surprise them and hit them first. She crawled into the bush clumsily and it rustled. Then she settled down in a crouch, watching Nori go. He looked worried... Nori approached the corner of the playground cautiously, carefully walking towards it. As he reached it, he took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come, then turned the corner. Immediately something cold and hard was pressed against his forehead. A gun. This one had brought a gun. "On the ground..." the man growled, and Nori complied immediately, laying stomach-down against the dirt floor. Saori frowned as Nori vanished around the corner. If she couldn't see him, how could she know if he needed help? She extricated herself from the bush carefully, pleased that she hadn't made too much noise- it just sounded like the wind was making the bush rustle. Then she tiptoed across the playground. There was a building next to the playground, which meant that a wall obstructed vision. Pressing her back against the wall, she crouched down, straining her ears to hear if Nori was coming back yet. Then she thought that it would be bad to get in the way, and she measured out a few more feet before shuffling along the wall, making sure she was more than three feet away from the corner itself. Nori couldn't stop himself from giggling. Everytime the man cocked the weapon he used his psychokinesis to un-cock it. It was funny, the man furiously flicking his thumb and taking aim, only to growl in frustration after a small click. He hoped Saori listened to him and stayed in the bush. If she got near him he'd be... well... dead. As the gun un-cocked itself for the umpteenth time, the man squeeled in frustration. Saori frowned. She could hear lots of clicking. It didn't sound like shoes moving...but it didn't sound like someone attacking Nori. Then she caught his giggling and blinked. Was there something funny round the corner? Making sure she was outside of the range of her friend, she crept around the corner. Then her eyes widened. There was a man with a gun! She remained rooted to the spot, eyes wide with fear. The man stomped on Nori's head. Nori got pissed. Playtime was over. Easily turning the gun around in the man's hand, he cocked it himself and fired several rounds into the man's chest. He collasped on the ground, dead. And Nori simply got up, left him there, and turned around. "Sa... Saori.." he mumbled. A witness? But it was Saori! Should he do something!? A migrain ensued from the conflicting emotions.